Torn by Two
by kz1111
Summary: A love triangle between Cloud, Aerith, and Zack. Going deep into the mind of the three, to explore the attraction and feelings they have for each other. Based on the FFVII storyline, with minor changes to bring Zack back.
1. Chapter 1

Torn by Two – Chapter 1

His back aches, the back of his head feels numb from the impact, his mind spinning. The blonde hair man felt as if all the bones in his body has been shattered, into million pieces. He thought for sure, he'd be dead. How could he not be dead? He fell from the reactor after Shinra's 'Air Buster' exploded, and the last thing he saw was a girl in long dark hair, she was reaching for him, she had tears in her ruby eyes. At least his he got to see her again. At least her beautiful face was the last thing he saw before he fell.

"You came back!" He heard a young woman's voice, followed by quick footsteps approaching him. "No… That's not Za— He moved! Hello?!" _I'm already dead,_ _just let me rest in peace, damnit. _The blond man frowned.

"Hey you are alive!"

_I am… alive?_ The Soldier slowly opened his eyes, he squint, trying to focus on the blurry face in front of him. A portrait of a girl with emerald eyes pieced in front of him. She is looking down at him, and she wore a worried look across her face. _Wow… _The young woman in front of him has long brown wavy hair which she wears in a ponytail, bangs parted in the middle. Her skin is clear and translucent, with touches of pink on her cheeks, the color of her lips is a beautiful peach color. _What a sight. _He secretly thought to himself.

His other four senses begin to revive as well. The air tasted like sweet nectar, causing his dry mouth to salivate, the smell of floral tickled his nostril, he can hear birds chirping faintly in the background. He is lying on something soft and moist. He slowly sat up to find that he is lying on a flower bed, broken planks of wood surrounds him and the yellow bed of flowers.

"You okay?" the young woman let out a sigh of relief. The man in the purple Soldier uniform nodded as he look around his surroundings. "This is a church in the Sector 5 slums, you came crashing down", she answered before he could ask, she pointed to the ceiling.

He looks up to find a hole in the ceiling, "I fell from the plate" _after fighting Shinra_… he brought his gaze back to the flower bed, "the ceiling of the church and this flower bed must have broken my fall".

"That's right" She smiled. Although she is curious as to why he was up there, she had never questioned the first man who fell from the roof, and she is not about to ask this one either. "So, we meet again".

Her last comment surprised the blonde Soldier, he thought she looked familiar. He brought his hands to his forehead, as if it will help him fish into his memory bank,_ 'Flowers… yellow flowers, slums…. Girl in pink…' a_nd it worked, he remembers. "You were selling flowers".

She was selling flowers near an alley in the slums. There was a huge commotion after Avalanche blew up the reactor, a man bumped into her, and she fell. He offered his hand to her, helping her up, he even bought a flower from the girl… which he gave to Tifa. The man beat himself up mentally for not remembering such a pretty face, then again, he never paid much attention to women's faces on the street. Up until recently, he only had one goal. To become Soldier… all for this one person…

"You remembered! I'm so happy!" This time, the woman in pink offered her hand to help the man up, "returning the favor", she smiled.

This tiny girl is offering to pull him off the ground? The corner of the man's lips slightly curved up as he reached and felt her warm small hand. He watched in amusement as the petite girl struggled to pull him off the ground. She bit her lips and pulled harder again. He intentionally keep himself grounded and watched her whole body rock back and forth as she recollects her strength at every pull. "Hey, don't just sit and watch. You need to do your part by wanting to get up!" She pouted and withdrew her hand, along with her offer.

The Soldier couldn't help but chuckle. He felt his expression relaxed, discovering muscles in his face that he had not used for a long time, his abdominal throbbing in a pleasant way. His heart felt warm. He has not felt this way for a long time. "I'm sorry, I'm just teasing", he smirked. He pulled himself up, and begin to dust off the dirt off his uniform.

The young woman observe the tall man in front of her. He is lean, muscles defined. His blonde spikey hair reminded her of the messy feathers found on Chocobos' heads. His purple uniform is definitely a staple of Shinra's Soldiers, she is certain of this. _He wore the exact same uniform._ She observe further onto his facial features and then, something drawn her in, and she couldn't get out. It was his eyes. She felt her heart sink, she had forgotten this shade of blue, and she has not seen these sapphire for 5 years. His eyes are the most beautiful shade of blue, no ocean, no gems, no flowers, no materia can match this color. She continue to sink deeper into his magnificent spell binding eyes. _A Soldier's trademark, he once said…_

The Soldier brought his gaze back to the woman and found her emerald eyes staring directly into his. He too could not help but to admire her beautiful features. The two shared a moment, and neither the man nor the woman can explain the sensation that is beginning to stir within their hearts. The Soldier, trying his best to keep his cool, put an end to the staring contest, "Thank you for saving me. I'm Cloud, what is your name?"

His words snapped her back to reality, she felt her face heat up from embarrassment. _Oh no… he must have noticed me staring. _"I didn't do anything, it was the flowers who saved you… " She looked away, she put her hands on her cheeks in attempt to cool down the raising temperature. "Aerith… My name is Aerith".

Hi folks, Thank you for reading my first fic. I hope this served well as an introduction. I wanted to highlight the almost 'love at first sight' attraction Aerith and Cloud had for each other. I'm still thinking of a way to get Zack back, but he won't be back until a few more chapters, right now I want to concentrate on building her relationship with Cloud. To be honest, I don't even know which protagonist I like more, Cloud or Zack and I can't wait until I get to the part where I get to decide which hottie I want Aerith to keep. Thanks for reading :).


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two _

"Hey, let's take a break!" Aerith pants. She points to the empty park. "Sector 7 is just around the corner, before we enter, let me catch my breath"

Cloud nodded in response as he watched a droplet of sweat slide down her cheek. He took a seat on the swing, facing what the blonde man believed to be a slide in the form of a white bear's head. Though this is a 'park', he realized there are no children around. The chains on the swing are rusted, the 'white bear slide' is covered with dirt. This place makes him wonder why they even built a park in the slums.

The Soldier reminiscence on the events that took place yesterday. Turks showed up at the church all of a sudden. Aerith asked him to be his bodyguard, and in exchange for his service, she said she will go on a date with him. He remembered the expression on her face when she told him the form of payment he will be rewarded with. Her face was slightly red, which she tried to hide by looking down on the wooden floor of the church, drawing circles with the tip of her brown boots. Cloud agreed to help the flower girl by taking her home, after all, her flowers did save his life… Although he will never admit it, the flower girl gave him an excuse to go on a date with her, how can he say no to that? _What a bold one… _he chuckled at the thought.

"Are you sure your mother will be okay with you sneaking out?" He asked, watching the young woman climb up the 'bear slide' and sat herself down at the peak. She has a huge grin on her innocent face, which reminded Cloud of Marlene's expression when she is playing with her Barbie dolls. Aerith looks like she is really enjoying herself and his company.

"Don't worry. She is used to me sneaking out. I haven't gone outside of Midgar for over 10 years, at least let me travel outside my home", she giggled. It is true, sneaking out was something that _'he' _taught her. It made her feel less limited, it was her way of tasting freedom, her way of going on an adventure. She had always yearned for adventure outside of this city. 'He' promised to take her out, to travel the world, but he never did.

Although Cloud enjoys her company, the idea of her sneaking out after he had escorted her home made him uncomfortable. What happens after she guides him to Sector 7? Is she going to walk back home by herself? She can barely lift up her staff, what if she gets attacked by thieves? What if she bumps into the Turks? His thoughts translated to his face. "I don't know, now that I know the way, I think I should take you home".

"I will be fine Cloud, I am tougher than you think. I am so tough, that maybe I can even join Soldier!" She rolled up the short sleeve of her red jacket, uncovering a bit of skin from her shoulder. She flexed her bicep, exposing her non-existent muscle. She grinned at the man, revealing her pearly white teeth.

Cloud chuckled at the sight. This is the second time she had brought a smile to his face. She is so fragile, so small, yet so adventurous, so bold. Everything about her is so intriguing to the young man. He wants to know more and more about this woman in pink.

"Say Cloud, you were in Soldier right?" she slides down the 'bear'.

"How did you guess?"

"Your eyes gave it away" she answered as she walk closer and closer to the man. She blend down a little to meet his face. "May I take a look?" she asked.

Cloud said nothing, he watched as the wind softly blew at her silky brown curls, she shined brilliantly, contrasting the dull background of the slum. She is so close to him, her beautiful features and her feminine flora scent sent vibrations up his brain. It numbed his whole being. _Gosh, she is gorgeous. _

Taking his silence as a yes, she slowly cupped her small hands on his cheek as if she is handling something delicate and fragile. She gently brought his gaze to hers.

Aerith stared into his mako infused eyes once again, they are beautiful, and how she missed those eyes. They look like the exact same blue eyes that never came back no matter how long she waited. She doesn't want to let them go again. Her gut is telling her she wants to get to know this person more. Fate had brought this mysterious handsome stranger to her, yet she felt like she knew him already, as if they are the same person.

The man sat there, still, as if she had casted a stop spell on him. He can feel her soft hands warmed his cheeks. Something in his chest is pounding rapidly, a foreign feeling to Cloud. This is the first time he let someone he had just met get this close to him. A complete 'stranger' some can say, but this stranger, this beautiful stranger has completely captivated him, and it is happening too fast for him to comprehend what he is feeling. Unconsciously, he brought his hand to hers, feeling the back of her left hand.

"Oh" surprised by his touch, she let go of his cheeks and stepped back. Her face is beginning to change color once again.

The blonde haired man realizing his actions, brought his gaze down.

"I'm sorry" they both said at the same time.

"Cloud… what class were you?"Aerith said, breaking the awkwardness.

Cloud brought this hand to his forehead, striking his 'thinking pose'. "First Class"

"Same as him" She sighed.

_Him? Oh, she has a boyfriend. No surprise, a girl like that - someone must have snatched her up already. Wait, why do I care anyway? It doesn't matter… _But just to confirm, he will ask her. "Who is 'him'?"

"My boyfriend" she said softly as she fiddled with the black ribbon on her neck.

Cloud felt like someone had punched him in the stomach following her answer, he doesn't understand why he felt the ache and what had caused it… yet... Regardless, he must keep his cool. "What is his name? Maybe I know him"

The flower girl shook her head, "It doesn't matter, he never came back."

Cloud knew exactly what this means, Soldiers are consistently on missions, although Soldier first class are strong, they can still get killed in battles. Soldiers are human, they are not invincible, unless this person is Sephiroth. "I'm sorry for your lost"

"Don't be. He was a big flirt, maybe he met someone new and ran off with her" She laughed, a fake laugh. "I've waited 5 years, I'm over it" she clenched her fist at the thought, her nails dug into her skin.

The idea of a man abandoning this woman is sickening to Cloud. She is the hidden treasure buried deep within the slums, how can anyone resist a treasure? Five years is a long time, yet, she wasted away five years of her young life waiting for this man. Cloud felt a slight sting in his heart, a feeling he has not felt since Nibelheim, could it be jealousy?

Aerith always knew it was a possibility that some woman have snatched her 'boyfriend' away, though the thought hurts her deeply, she would rather believe he had left for someone else, than to imagine he is no longer a part of this world. Memories that was once suppressed begin to surface again, the feeling of lost and loneliness that she has gone through for the last 5 years. She can feel the wounds in her heart reopen, they were wounds that no elixir or cure spells could heal. She continued to laugh trying to cover her sadness, tears began to form in her green eyes.

Cloud is no woman reader, but he is no fool. He could tell the laugh was not sincere, he could tell the fluids collecting in her eyes are no tears of joy. He watched the woman in front of him battle the tears with all her might. The tears collected in her emerald eyes like a pool, she's fighting hard not to let the liquid run down her face. His heart throbbed at the sight. This woman, whom he had just met, helped him feel more emotions than he has ever felt. Everything about this woman is different, special, yet familiar, as if he has been waiting to meet her his whole life. He wants to console her, make her feel better, take away the pain, hold her tight in his arms, and offer his shoulder to cry on. _What is this I'm feeling? _Without thinking whether it is proper, he stood up and gently placed a hand on her shoulder "Sorry" he apologized again for her lost.

All she could see in her watery line of vision was his chest, his purple uniform. She felt as if 'he' was in front of her, and he is apologizing for leaving her, for not writing back, for not pulling her flower wagon with her, for not saving her from the slums. Aerith could not hold it anymore, she fell into the soldier's chest, taking in the scent of the purple fabric. She held on tight to the man's back, feeling the soldier's back and his buster sword. _I've missed you so much. _For now, she will just imagine.

He too, doesn't care anymore, she maybe a stranger whom he just met for a day, but he felt like he had known her for much longer, she had saved him in many ways than they can both comprehend. It is his turn to save her, the man slowly brought his muscular arms to embrace the small framed woman, protecting her from the villain in her mind, 'like a good bodyguard should', he thought, giving himself an excuse for his actions.

The two stood there, feeling the soft wind blew. They felt as if nothing else mattered. The moment was special. The flower girl felt the embrace wash away the pain in her heart, replacing it with a new warmth. The soldier felt his heart opened up to the woman in his arms, emotions that he has locked up for a very long time.

The soldier pulled back a bit, just enough to see the woman's face, checking if she is uncomfortable with his embrace. He noticed the pool of tears in her eyes were no longer, she brought her gaze up and smiled innocently at him. Cloud felt relief at the sight of her smile. _Thank you Cloud… and _"Sorry about your shirt" she giggled.

_My shirt? _The blonde haired soldier noticed two wet marks on his dark purple uniform. Her eyes must have rubbed onto my top when I held her, soaking up her tears, he thought. The woman who was on the edge of crying a moment ago, is now giggling in his arms. _What a weirdo,_ he smirked at his own thought.

Their embrace was short lived when the gate to Sector 7 opened and a Chocobo pulling a buggy entered the area. The giant bird made a sharp turn towards Wall Market. The two caught a better look at the passengers in the buggy. A woman with long dark hair in a tiny blue dress stood at the rear of the vehicle. Cloud's arms dropped with haste, breaking their embrace. "Tifa…"

_She's beautiful… _Aerith thought as she and the girl in blue eyes caught each other. "Is she the girl you were talking about at my house?"

The man nodded, eyes still on the buggy.

"I know where that buggy is heading. We've got to hurry!"

Xoxoxoxo

Hello, last night I accidentally uploaded the wrong .doc to chapter 1, it contained a merge of Chapt 1 and 2, as well as a few scenes that I decided not to add to the story... I hope I didn't confuse everyone… Thank you for reading, sorry for the inconvenience.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I don't know about this", the blonde haired man said as he unfolds the purple silk dress tailored to his measures.

Cloud and Aerith are inside the Wall Market Clothing Boutique. After learning Tifa was brought to Don Corneo's mansion for an interview, Aerith decided the only way for Cloud to reach her is to dress the man up as a woman. "No complaining, this is the only way to get to Tifa!" trying her hardest to hold her laughter. The flower girl is having so much fun with Cloud's misfortune. "We have to go all out! To make sure you are as pretty as you can possibly be!"

The ex soldier is not happy with the idea, but Tifa's safety comes first. Eversince they have reached Wall Market, Cloud could not stop wondering what Tifa is doing at Don Corneo's mansion. Is she out of her mind? A worried look cross his face.

"She must be a special lady Cloud. We will find her. I am sure of it!" The flower girl tried to cheer him up.

"Yeah, she is." He looked into their shopping bags. They just picked up the purple silk dress, a diamond tiara and a blonde wig the gym owner gave him for defeating Big Bro in squats. "Looks like we got everything".

Aerith shook her head, "You need to put on make-up to look really feminine! There is no point if we get there just to get your cover blown!"

Cloud doesn't understand how makeup will make him more attractive, but she does have a point. All their efforts will go to waste if the guard finds out that he is a man… "Do you know where we can get some make-up? Who is going to put make up on me?" _The last question sounded so wrong, _he thought.

"I don't know… and I don't know how" Elmyra never let her use make-up growing up, she said they are a waste of money and hides her natural beauty. The only cosmetic she owns is a simple clear lip gloss, which she hides in her closet, so her mom wouldn't know. She felt embarrassed, being a girl, but so clueless about this topic. "But I'm sure we can easily find some! I saw a lot of pretty girls at the south eastern part of the market, I'm sure they would know!"

The two left the boutique and headed southeast of the market, the women in pink stopped in her tracks when she heard a noise, 'grrrrrrr', she looked around trying to find the source of the sound. She noticed Cloud had a hand on his stomach, looking up at the 'Wall Market Asian Restaurant" logo above his head.

"Let's go in" Aerith demanded.

"We don't have time" the man with the growling stomach answered.

"You need strength to fight, you can't help Tifa like this. Let's go" she went behind the man, and pushed him towards the entrance of the restaurant.

"Welcome! Please take a seat anywhere you like!" the chef behind the sushi counter greeted. Aerith and Cloud took a seat by the counter. "What would you like? We serve Sushi, Korean BBQ Kalbi Dinner and for today's special we have Fried Rice"

"I will have the Kalbi" the blonde man answered immediately, the man needs his meats.

"I will have the rice, thank you"

"Certainly, right away", the chef prepared the two dishes in front of the two, placing the food in a bento with his skilled hands, as if he has been doing this for many years. Within minutes, two beautiful display of bentos are presented to them.

The man in purple and the flower girl dug in to their food, enjoying the Asian cuisine. Aerith felt as though she is on a date, her lips curved up even as she chew on her food. Cloud on the other hand is busy wolfing down his food. She looked up at Cloud, he has already finished his food and is signaling for the bill, she noticed barbeque sauce at the corner of his lips. The young women chuckled, reaching out gently to wipe the sauce off his face with her thumb. The blonde haired man's chest jumped at her touch.

"Look at you love birds." A smiling waitress approached them with their bill.

Aerith immediately withdrew her hand. _What was I thinking? I shouldn't have done that._

"We are giving out pharmacy coupons to all customers as promotions. We have digestive, disinfectant and deodorant, which one would you like?" the waitress continued.

"Anything is fine" the ex-soldier muttered, his voice sounded a little disappointed at the interruption. He puts 50 gil on the table.

The waitress shrugged that gave them the Digestive Coupon. "Thank you, please come again" she bowed before taking off.

Aerith and Cloud left the restaurant, and almost immediately, a middle aged woman with long red hair ran after them. "Excuse me!"

"What is it?"

"Your coupon! The waitress said she gave the last digestive coupon to you" the red haired woman said in distress, she has her arms wrapped around her stomach. "May I please have it? I ordered the sushi and now, my insides are acting up!"

"Cloud, let's give her the coupon"

The man took out the coupon from his pocket and gave it to the distressed woman.

"Thank you! Here, please take this" the middle aged woman handed Aerith a pink bottle of perfume. "Think of it as a trade, girls your age love this perfume" the woman turned and head towards the pharmacy, taking the coupon with her.

Aerith put the spray part of the bottle towards her nose, taking in the calming lavender scent. This will be a new addition to her secret 'cosmetic' collection, she giggled at the thought. She sprayed a little in the air and stepped into the invisible flowery scented field, coating herself with the purple blossom's aroma. Cloud watched as she indulge herself with her new toy, a smile formed on his lips at the idea of how little it takes to make this girl happy.

They continued to head towards the southeast part of the market. Aerith received many glances from bypassing men, one of them even stopped and dropped open his jaw. Cloud lowered his eyebrows, he felt uneasy these men are completely ignoring the fact that he is right beside her. It was clear that she was accompanying him, but these men are treating him as if he was invisible. "Better do this quick" he grabbed the young woman's hand dragging her to quicken her pace. He hides her behind him, saving her from bypassing men's mental sexual assaults.

"Right..." She nodded, feeling the temperature on her cheek rise at his touch. They two made their way passed the item store, entering an alley.

"Hey buddy" a dark man in a white beater said with his arms open, trying to stop Cloud.

The two stopped, curious at what the dark man wants.

"Please, I can't decide. I just can't. I respect her too much. Please do me a favor" the dark stranger begged.

"What are you talking about?" Aerith asked, she looks up from behind Cloud's shoulder.

"Oh, you have a girlfriend? Sorry lady, my bad. Please don't get mad"

Cloud blushed at this comment. "um… She's not… my girlfriend", he scratched the back of his head.

"No? Oh good. Look you seem like a decent man. Please take this, and keep it away from me" he took out a shiny membership card from his wallet.

The card was labelled "HoneyBee Inn VIP membership", on the upper right corner is a picture of a busty women dressed in a bumblebee costume, striking a provocative pose. The blonde haired man's eyes widen, the name of the place rang a bell in his head, he knows exactly what this is. In his hand is every man's fantasy, well, men who are into this kinda thing.

"Let me see!" The woman in pink grabbed the card from the stranger's hand. "What is this?"

"This is my greatest treasure! VIP membership card to HoneyBee Inn. It is just around the corner, man they have the hottest babes. They do kinky things with honey…. But no more, no more! I've got to straighten up! Be a better man!" the stranger continues to blabber.

Aerith blushed slightly after learning what this means.

"You seem like a nice guy, I can tell by the way you handle the pink lady. Please, just keep the card away from me and don't let it fall onto the hands of some asshole!" The dark man said, he waved and run towards the opposite direction of the HoneyBee Inn, disappearing into the crowd. The two stood there trying to reckon what had just happened.

"Cloud, this is it! This is our answer! There must be someone at the HoneyBee Inn who can put on make up for you!"

"You do know what this means right? We are about to enter the red light district. Do you have any idea what goes on inside?"

"I'm a big girl you know? Let's go." Aerith giggled.

The two reached the HoneyBee Inn. The build is surrounded by lights, two bumble bee lanterns hung beside the company logo. A bouncer stood at the entrance with his arms crossed, observing the three man roaming by the entrance.

As the two approaches, the three men who was roaming by the entrance quickly took notice of Aerith. Ignoring the blonde man, the three men approach her, 'woman-hungry' written all over their faces.

"What a hottie! What's your name little lady?" The man in the blue Shinra uniform inquired.

"Pink is my favorite color too!" said the man with red spikey hair.

"Are you a new girl at the HoneyBee Inn? Ohhhh please say yes!" a man in dark sunglasses asked.

The three strange man got closer, invading the flower girl's personal space. Aerith felt a little uneasy.

"Back off" Cloud demanded sternly. He is angry, men here are even more animalistic than those from the market. He shoved the guy in Shinra uniform by his headgear, causing the man in blue to fall flat onto the dirt. His ice cold eyes glared at the other two. "I will not repeat myself" threatening them with a low tone to match his death glare. The two remaining men gulped and walked back to the corner by the inn, the message was clear.

"Oh my" Aerith covered her mouth in surprise at the ex soldier's reaction.

"Hey now, there are no need for violence these three are not bad people. They are just very bad with women" The bouncer tells Cloud. "What are you doing here with a chick anyways? This is a gentlemen's club, membership only of course"

"I have a membership card" Cloud showed the bouncer his pass. The bouncer nodded, he stepped to the side giving Cloud approval to enter. "Guess I have to go in to complete my disguise". Cloud shrugged to Aerith, scratching the back of his head.

Aerith giggled. "I'll be waiting here, remember, you are here to get pretty. Don't have too much fun"

Cloud nodded. He looked back at the three man, "If any of you touch her, I will—", he stopped midway through his sentence, realizing what he is saying. _When did I become this possessive? _He shook his head and glanced at Aerith. "Be careful, call for me if anything happens", he left her with a smile and entered the HoneyBee Inn.

"Man, your boyfriend has some serious issues" The bouncer chuckled.

"Yup" Aerith smiled as she watch the ex-soldier in purple disappear into the building, she could feel her heart beating.

Oxoxoxoxox

Hello! The wall market scene is taking longer than I thought, so I will end it here. Just a FYI, I'm not going to be writing the whole ffvii story line, just scenes that I'm in the mood for. Thank you for reading - kz


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